America250 marks 250 years since 1776, the founding year represented by the United States Declaration of Independence.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states. The document explained the political reasons for separation from Great Britain and presented a statement of natural and legal rights.
The year 1776 is associated with several important steps toward independence. Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, the Declaration was adopted on July 4, and its first public readings took place on July 8. The parchment copy was signed primarily on August 2.
America250 therefore commemorates the 250th anniversary of the 1776 declaration and the revolutionary founding era. It does not mark the end of the Revolutionary War, which came later, or the ratification of the Constitution, which occurred in another decade.